Some conventional vehicle systems may include rear-facing cameras for assisting a driver in backing a vehicle, such as during a reverse maneuver for backing up or parking the vehicle. Such camera systems are typically only activated upon a driver shifting into reverse. In other systems, cameras have been used to supplement or replace side mirrors of a vehicle. Such camera systems display the output from the camera or cameras on a monitor while the driver of the vehicle is driving. These camera systems are typically only activated during the usage of the vehicle and remain inactive when the vehicle is not in use. Moreover, such systems typically actively display the output from the camera or cameras and do not store video data. Such back-up camera systems may include object detection features, but such features are typically only activated when the vehicle is shifted into reverse and typically only detect the presence of an object in real-time without reference to a prior state. Such systems cannot distinguish between an object that was previously behind the vehicle and a new object behind the vehicle.
In some conventional alarm systems for vehicles, an alarm may be triggered upon the occurrence of an event, such as attempt to pick a lock, a breaking of a window, or a physical disturbance to the vehicle. Such systems may cause an audible alarm to be emitted by the vehicle, one or more visual indicators to be activated by the vehicle, and/or a notification of the alarm status to be transmitted to a driver, such as to a keyfob in possession of the driver. However, such alarm systems typically provide limited information to a driver and merely notify the driver of an alarm causing event at the time the event occurs.
An improved object detection system for a vehicle is needed to remedy one or more of the foregoing deficiencies of the conventional systems.